The Hollis Brothers were first recorded as operating from 11 Weaman Row in 1840, although evidence suggests that the business may have commenced prior to this date. Over time, the firm evolved and became known as Isaac Hollis & Sons, with claims of its establishment dating back to 1814. This earlier date is supported by records of Richard and William Hollis trading in Bath Street, Birmingham, between 1814 and 1818, which raises the possibility that Isaac and Frederick Hollis were their descendants. The principal brothers involved in the business were Isaac Hollis, born in 1815, and Frederick Hollis, whose birth date remains unknown. Frederick’s life was cut short when he died on 20 December 1839. According to the 1841 census, Isaac Hollis resided in Weaman Row and was listed as a 25-year-old gun and pistol maker. He was married to Emma, who was born in 1821, and together they had two children: Isaac, born in 1837, and Henry, born in 1839. Following Frederick’s death, Isaac continued to operate under the name Hollis Brothers until 1845, after which he renamed the business Hollis Brothers & Co. This entity remained active up to 1848. In 1844, Isaac Hollis entered a brief partnership with William Tranter at 10 & 11 Weaman Row, likely to fulfil a specific contract or to supply particular parts. This partnership continued until 1849. In 1848, Isaac Hollis formed a partnership with Isaac Brentnall Sheath, establishing the firm of Hollis & Sheath and expanding their operations into 10 Weaman Row. The partnership saw Hollis & Sheath become licensed manufacturers of percussion breech-loading guns, positioning the company as a notable presence in the industry. In 1861, Sheath left the partnership and emigrated to New Zealand, where he conducted several enterprises and was elected as a provincial councillor. He died in Christchurch on 19th May 1897. Following the departure of Isaac Sheath in 1861, the business underwent a name change to Isaac Hollis & Sons. By approximately 1870, Isaac Hollis and Henry Hollis had assumed responsibility for the daily management of the firm, with Isaac overseeing the overall management and marketing of the company's products, while Henry managed the manufacturing processes. During this period, the company became known for producing large volumes of affordable trade guns and sporting guns, catering to customers in South Africa and the British colonies. In 1870, Isaac Hollis & Sons opened a retail location at 44a Cannon Street in London, subsequently relocating to 83 Cheapside in 1871. Isaac Hollis Jnr passed away in October 1875 in Birmingham at the age of 37, having never married. In 1876/1877, Henry Hollis registered a limited liability company under the name Isaac Hollis & Sons Ltd. However, by 1879, trading resumed under the name Isaac Hollis & Sons, and the London shop moved to 6 Great Winchester Street. From 1932 to 1933, the business operated in London as Hollis, Bentley & Playfair. The final closure of Hollis, Bentley & Playfair occurred in Birmingham in 1953. This firearm serves as an exemplary representation of the type of weapon distributed to the colony’s military forces in 1861. It was specifically manufactured by Isaac Hollis & Sons, a prominent gunmaker of the period, to meet the requirements of military use. Distribution was facilitated through Hebbert & Sons, an established military supplier based in London. Before it arrived in Tasmania, Australia, around 1861, the firearm was likely issued from the Hythe Armoury, which functioned as a British military training facility. Probably, the gun was originally allocated to British troops or police before being transferred for use in the colony. Gun: Percussion Carbine, .577 Cal. Colonial Tasmanian issue Artillery carbine, Pattern 1861. Muzzle-loading "Cap and Ball" musket. Wood stock and ramrod. Inscriptions are on the stock and breech. Gun was made for Herbert & Co., London, by Isaac Hollis & Sons, Birmingham.Stamped on stock "SOLD 95", " ISAAC HOLLIS & SONS" "GUN & PISTOL MANUFACTURES" "BIRMINGHAM" "J ASTON ARMOURER HYTHE" "MANUFACTURED EXPRESSLY FOR HEBBERT & CO LONDON". Stamped on breech "25", and "25C ---05"flagstaff hill, maritime museum, maritime village, warrnambool, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, firearm, gun, percussion, carbine, .577 cal, colonial tasmanian issue, artillery carbine, military gun, pattern 1861, muzzle-loading, muzzle-loading musket, cap and ball, musket, wood stock, 1861, percussion breech-loading guns, richard and william hillis, herbert & co., herbert & co. london, hollis & sons, isaac hollis & sons, isaac hillis & sons ltd., hollis bentley & playfair., isaac hollis, frederick hollis, isaac brentnall sheath, isaac sheath, william tranter, gun manufacturer, pistol manufacturer, gun and pistol maker, birmingham, j aston armourer, hythe, hythe armoury, military supplies

"A number of specific items, which have been useful in the day to day operations of the Chalet, remain in the building with each complementing the other to provide context, meaning and character to their setting. Items such as the hall porter bell, the many signs providing information to the guests, the wall clock, barometer and dinner bell point to the Chalet being a well-run social institution with a pleasant environment for rest, recreation and congenial company." (Pg 81 Historica, MBCC) "The barometer mounted on an ornately carved backing was presented by flour miller John Spencer Brunton (1861-1937), son of Thomas Brunton who founded the Brunton & Co. flourmills. John had responsibility for the New South Wales arm of the company and lived in Sydney.' (Pg 82 Historica MBCC) " Fig 80. It was presented by John Spencer Brunton on 9 December 1930."(Pg83, Historica. MBCC) Listed in Draft Inventory of Significant Collection items A.3.. Fixtures and Fittings (Pg 165.Historica, MBCC)Barometer and thermometer with carved decorative leaf pattern wooden surround.On plaque below barometer:"PRESENTED BY / JOHN SPENCER BRUNTON / 9.12.30" (further inscriptions on face)

Former Kilmore Court House library.Watermark patterned cloth cover with leather spine & corners, worn at extremities. Discolouration to page edges, foxing throughout. Good condition. 'Clerk of Courts/Kilmore', 4th page.kilmore court house library.

Book, brown covers, embossed with borders and patterns and gilt decoration and titles. The book includes illustrations. Handwritten inscription on the front paste-down page. The opposite page has a stamped and a handwritten inscription. The book was presented as a prize to a Latin student at the National School, Warrnambool in 1861. Title: Odd People being a Popular Description of Singular Races of Man. Alternate title: Odd People or Singular Races of Man Author: Captain Mayne Reid Publisher: Routledge Warne & Routledge, London Date: 1860 Further information: additional text on the spine reads 'A Proper Study of Mankind is Man'fictionOdd People: Being a Popular Description of Singular Races of Man (1860) is an interesting piece of 19th-century literature. The book was written by Captain Thomas Mayne Reid (1818–1883), a Scots-Irish American novelist and adventurer. He was immensely popular in the mid-to-late 19th century for his boys' adventure novels, tales of the American West, and travelogues. The true first edition was published in London by Routledge, Warne & Routledge in 1860. In the United States, it was published around the same time (1860/1861) by Ticknor and Fields in Boston, and later editions were retitled The Man-Eaters and Other Odd People. The book is an early work of popular ethnology and anthropology, written for a general audience and heavily marketed toward young readers and armchair travelers of the Victorian era.shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, warrnambool, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, book, odd people, captain mayne reid, national school warrnambool., daniel b sellers, classic fiction, the proper study of mankind is man, singular races of man, , routledge warne and routledge, latin student